Recently, my partner and I have been looking more seriously at the open houses and for sale signs in our neighborhood. We've always rented, so the idea of updating or changing anything (other than the paint) in our home has never seemed like a possibility. Over the weekend we looked at a house. We liked it. And my nesting instinct went into overdrive ...
(P.S. This picture isn't the house, it's just a cute bungalow in Sacramento)
The kitchen was nice. But I thought: It would be so much nicer with cork flooring and paperstone countertops (even though the stone flooring and granite counters are obviously new).
The flooring was nice, but one look at the carpet in the bedroom and I thought: Wouldn't some FLOR carpet tiles be better.
In essence, I was mentally updating a house that didn't need updating. Rather than ripping out the counters and flooring and installing "greener" materials, the greenest option would obviously be to live with the materials that are there. Sometimes it's just a little difficult to get our minds to think that way.
Do you have similar conflicts of thinking?
(Oh, and if we did buy the house, I would totally replace the front lawn with an edible landscape à la Fritz Haeg!)
(Image: Flickr member jlt licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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It is hard not to want to replace perfectly useful household items and installations with green alternatives which goes against the grain of sustainability. The only time I could see that this would be in order if the item or installation was off-gassing or requiring intense and toxic upkeep. Updating a garden to a water efficient landscape or a productive garden that generates produce is always a good move!! Do away with the grass.
Its hard when you are like me and troll green home websites and want to upgrade my entire house with all the new cool products out there, it also makes you feel like you would make more of an impact to visitors of your house if they could see how seriously you took living green, but it is counter productive until something REALLY needs replacing. Patience!!!
view bagelpower's profile
Yeah, I have conflicts of thinking, but budget prevents conflicts of doing. I... guess it's a good thing.
view whytephoenix's profile
We had the same itch and so decided to look for a condo that had not been updated (aka, without "granite countertops and new stainless steel appliances".)
My husband and I were lucky to find a really dumpy (but structurally sound) foreclosure at a great price and are planning to invest in green finishes over time...
view Snickidy's profile
Snickidy, that's so great. Congratulations! :)
view Elizabeth B's profile
I'm with Snickidy on this one. Green updates are only really green when you actually NEED to update.
If you were talking about a kitchen with old laminate counters and pressboard cabinets (like my parents lived with for a few years) then there might be some type of argument here. But if it is a nice looking functional kitchen you're going to have to leave it alone for now.
Part of being green is NOT buying new things. (Like that new bigger fancy iPhone I want even though I have a perfectly good phone and iPod.)
view Rolen the Great's profile
I am actually wishing that my dishwasher dies soon. It is the loudest thing on earth, does NOT clean dishes well, and I totally hate it. But know I shouldn't buy a new one while it still works. C'mon break. Instead, my garbage disposal bit the dust.
view petworth's profile
petworth - very funny.
Agreed with the above comments. It is hard to accept someone else's taste as your own. But sometimes you have to think smart, if the cabinets are made of wood, but they are dark color, have someone paint them professionally to set your own kitchen. I am sorry, I am a sucker for visual perfection (the one in my mind and style) so I could not live with a ugly kitchen (or anything else) no matter how sound it was just to be green. To be green I do other things, I do not drive a car, I ride my bike, shop at the local market, air dry my clothes etc. One has to pick his/her fights.
view Anusha73's profile
I feel this way about old cleaning products, that I want to replace with greener/no-animals-tested versions. But a couple family members moved away in last two years so I have all THEIR old cleaners, as well as those I still owned. I feel like I'll never get through them all!!
view Miss Mabel's profile
Ha ha Miss Mable, you just have to start developing a cleaning disorder and go berserk on the bathroom!!
That should use them up quick enough!!
view Maurs's profile